WBC lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson successfully defended his title for the first time with a dominant 119-109, 118-110, 116-112 unanimous decision over Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday night at Prudential Center in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey in front of nearly 8,500 fans.
The 27-year old silver medalist in the bantamweight division at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil remained undefeated (22-0, 10 KOs) as a pro. After defeating his Armenian-born German challenger who also medaled at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Stevenson voiced frustration regarding Harutyunyan’s seeming reluctance to engage him.
“It’s kind of hard to (be aggressive) if you don’t have a fighter who wants to fight back,” said Stevenson. “He’s just trying to make sure he survives. He’s a good fighter. He’s tough. He’s strong. I would’ve wanted him to try a little harder, so that way it could be a more fun fight.”
Some dissatisfied fans began to leave the arena in the later rounds, conceding they would not get a desired fight-ending knockout and that Stevenson would easily be the winner. “I think the boos were because of him,” said Stevenson. “He didn’t try to make the fight.”
Using the bout as another learning experience, the 5’8” defensive technician expressed his self-assessment for areas of improvement.
“I have to cut off the ring a bit more,” he acknowledged. “He’d go one way and then go the other way, so I got to go back in the gym and work on cutting off the (ring.)”
Stevenson has fought all 22 of his professional fights with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing but is a free agent after fulfilling his contract with the company. He did not provide a definitive course for his immediate future.
“We’ll see,” Stevenson replied when asked for his plans ahead.”I want to fight the best fighters in boxing. That’s how you’ll see the best version of me. Put me in the ring with somebody else who wants to fight back and compete. That’s when you’ll get the best out of me.”
Last week, Stevenson accused WBA lightweight title holder Gervonta “Tank” Davis and IBF lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko of ducking him. Davis and Lomachenko are two of the most popular fighters in the sport resulting from their more dynamic styles. Davis is a major draw because he often finishes his fights with highlight reel knockouts, including his devastating knockout of Frank Martin last month. If Stevenson does improve on his ability to cut off the ring and can earn more stoppages, he should see his fan base soar regardless of which promoter he signs with.
The co-main event saw one of the most disgraceful decisions in recent boxing memory. Robson Conceição became the new WBC junior lightweight champion with a stunning and flagrantly egregious 115-113, 112-116, 116-112 decision over O’Shaquie Foster. Conceição only connected on 10.8% of his total punches and although he was the more aggressive fighter, Foster was by far the more accurate puncher, landing 109 punches to Conceição’s 76. The jeers from the fans after the judges scorecards were revealed also became outrage on social media.
